stopping for emergency vehicles
How do you interpret having to stop for emergency vehicles?
Do you stop where you are or try to get out of the way if there is time?
I interpret the law as having to clear the road THEN stop so if I can duck into a driveway or side street I will do that, I mean on 2 lane roads where there is a curb instead of a shoulder.
I can't stand seeing drivers who just freeze in their tracks on a 2 lane road and leave no room for the ambulance or firetruck to drive around them [:(!]
Do you stop where you are or try to get out of the way if there is time?
I interpret the law as having to clear the road THEN stop so if I can duck into a driveway or side street I will do that, I mean on 2 lane roads where there is a curb instead of a shoulder.
I can't stand seeing drivers who just freeze in their tracks on a 2 lane road and leave no room for the ambulance or firetruck to drive around them [:(!]
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Following policy is not abuse. I can't speak for everywhere, but around here, EMS and FD are automatically dispatched on certain calls. They are also required by policy to have lights and sirens on when responding to calls. We can ASK them to show up silently, and they won't do it because they can't. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by givette
I've heard stories of motorists in heavy traffic falling in line behind the ambulance to get through traffic quicker. JoeWhen I see an ambulance on a run with lights and siren I'll often cold trail them with my video system running to watch for other vehicles either failing to yield or pulling stunts such as this.
In most all jurisdictions, fail to yield right-of-way to emergency vehicle fines are among the costliest allowed by law. Traffic enforcement isn't normally my focus and the amount of fine money I bring in is actually of no concern to me, but I'll write this one in a heartbeat.
The time spent at a bad scene watching someone die on you and wondering what's taking the med unit so long sucks. Knowing their reponse time is increased by some azzhat failing to get out of their way based on the assumption that they're either just playing macho games with their lights/siren or enroute to some non-emergency BS is sickening.0 -
quote:Originally posted by select-fire
quote:Originally posted by Laredo Lefty
quote:Originally posted by dcon12
Emergency vehicles do not have the right to run red lights. It is just a macho thing. They still have to follow traffic laws. Don
PS. At least here in Ga.
Macho has nothing to do with it....... Its trying to get to the EMERGENCY as quickly as possible.
If we have to "follow traffic laws" then we must stop for the red lights and wait for them to turn green to proceed.
I was in center lane stopped at a busy intercection and Ambulance was coming up behind me with no where to go. All traffic heard the siren and I ran a red light to get the hell out of the way. Ticket me if you want but the ambulance took priority.
I had the same thing happen to me the other day. I was stopped in the left lane at a red light when a police suburban pulled up behind me with it's siren and lights flashing. Right lane was full of cars and there was no left turn lane. I waited to make sure the intersection was clear (all cars stopped) and pulled into the intersection into the right lane and stopped.0 -
"if i may, i think the reason 90% of people DONT pull over and stop is, a good majority of the people know that many emv's abuse sirens and lights. and, since a VAST majority of calls end up being a cut finger, the population just gets tired of emv's making everyones so called emergency into total chaos."
Your forgetting the fact that most people only see it as an inconvenience because it is not THIER emergency. And as a civilian motorist it is not your position to judge because you do not know if it is a ALS call or BLS.0 -
quote:Originally posted by drobs
quote:Originally posted by select-fire
quote:Originally posted by Laredo Lefty
quote:Originally posted by dcon12
Emergency vehicles do not have the right to run red lights. It is just a macho thing. They still have to follow traffic laws. Don
PS. At least here in Ga.
Macho has nothing to do with it....... Its trying to get to the EMERGENCY as quickly as possible.
If we have to "follow traffic laws" then we must stop for the red lights and wait for them to turn green to proceed.
I was in center lane stopped at a busy intercection and Ambulance was coming up behind me with no where to go. All traffic heard the siren and I ran a red light to get the hell out of the way. Ticket me if you want but the ambulance took priority.
I had the same thing happen to me the other day. I was stopped in the left lane at a red light when a police suburban pulled up behind me with it's siren and lights flashing. Right lane was full of cars and there was no left turn lane. I waited to make sure the intersection was clear (all cars stopped) and pulled into the intersection into the right lane and stopped.
that's the kind of thing I'm talking about where you ahev to "make a hole" before you can pull right and stop. Sucks that a lot of people will just freeze in their tracks and make the emergency vehicle find another way around them.0
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